The Ultimate Turing Test
By David Barberi
What is the ultimate Turing Test?
In 1950 Alan Turing published his now famous paper "Computing
Machinery and Intelligence." In that paper he describes a method
for humans to test AI programs. In its most basic form, a human
judge sits at a computer terminal and interacts with the subject
by written communication only. The judge must then decide if the
subject on the other end of the computer link is a human or an AI
program imitating a human.
Can Turings test be improved on? Yes. With current advances in
computer graphics, virtual reality, biomechanics and many other
fields, it is possible to create an "Enhanced" or "Virtual" Tur-
ing test. The underlying idea of the test is still the same, but
the amount of interaction between judge and subject is increased
greatly.
How would this Virtual Turing Test work? The first step is to
create a 'world' for the judge and subject to inhabit. ('World'
is a Virtual Reality term that signifies a shared electronic
space, or cyberspace, where everyone immersed in it has the abil-
ity to interact with everything else in the world) With current
technology this may require the judge to wear a bodysuit, gloves,
and eyephones. In the future, such bulky methods of entering cy-
berspace will be replaced by more natural and unobtrusive means,
such as a direct neural interface.
When the judge is immersed into the Virtual Turing Test world all
his sensual stimulations are produced by the computer. The judge
sees a three dimensional, high resolution computer graphic image
of this new world from the viewpoint of his virtual twin. Inside
this world the subject and various physical objects reside (let
us say 2 chairs, a table, some cups, and a steaming pot of tea).
The judge can sit at the chair, grab a cup and feel the texture
of the cup against his hand by use of tactile response material
next to his skin. The judge can change his viewpoint by getting
up and walking around. If he drops the cup on the floor, it will
shatter and a suitable sound will emerge from the three dimen-
sional coordinates where the cup landed. For all extents and pur-
poses, when he judge is immersed in the Virtual Turing Test the
outside world does not exist.
Sitting across from the judge will be the subject, a computer
graphic image of a human being. The judge will not know if the
subjects actions are controlled by another human or a suitably
advanced computer simulation. The subject could be someone in the
next room wearing the same equipment that the judge is wearing,
and immersed in the same world that the judge is in. It is the
judges role to test the subject and decide if it is human or not.
If the subject is a human the computer will copy every movement
the subject makes, every sound that they produce, every facial
expression, every hand gesture, every eye movement. When the sub-
ject talks, the sound will originate from the mouth of the sub-
jects virtual copy.
If the subject is a simulation then the computer will control
every aspect of the subject. The simulation must be able to speak
and interact with the judge in every way that the a human subject
would. If the judge reaches across the table to slap the subject
in the head, the simulation will realize this and dodge out of
the way, much like any human would do. The simulation will be
able to interact with the virtual environment in every way that
the judge can. If the judge politely asks the subject to pour
them both a cup of tea, this physical interaction will be no
problem for the simulation.
The core of the simulation must control three basic items: com-
phrehensive communication with the judge, correct biomechanical
movement, and awareness of its environment.
The last of these items is the simplest. The computer already
knows where every object is in the virtual world. It can easily
calculate what 2 images would enter the simulations eyes from
whatever viewpoint it happens to be at. Of course, the control
program should not allow the simulation to know more then it
should. If the Judge is holding a book behind his back and the
simulation has not 'seen' the book yet, then, even through the
control program knows where and what the book is, it will not
pass this information to the simulation until the book comes into
its field of view. The second item, correct biomechanical move-
ment, deals with the way humans move. It is impossible for a nor-
mal human to bend his elbow past a certain point. The simulation
will follow all the physical limitations that the human body has.
It may not create a new arm or leg if needed, it may not turn
it's head around 360 degrees, it may not fly into the air by
flapping its arms, etc. This aspect of the simulation, while by
no means trivial, can be created with the biomechanical data
available today. The last, and hardest, item is comphrehensive
communications. By comphrehensive we are not only talking about
spoken words, but also the wealth of non-verbal cues that humans
use. Such things that we take for granted, such as hand gestures,
gaze of the eyes, position of the limbs, and facial gestures are
all examples of non-verbal communications. It is the simulations
job to use both verbal and non-verbal communications to make the
judge think it is acting in a very 'human' way.
How does this Virtual Turing Test compare to Turings original
test? We have replaced the limited communications allowed by two
connected computer terminals with a comphrehensive environment of
sight, sound and body. We allow the judge to base his decision
not only on written words, but on spoken speech, non-verbal cues,
and body movement.
The test still holds to the spirit of the original. There is
still a human judge that must use his intelligence and savvy to
test the subject. Like the original test, the judge has no way of
telling if the subject is human or not until he interacts with
it. Like the original test, the goal of the computer is to create
a simulation of human action so realistic that not even other hu-
mans can tell the difference.
The technology exists today to hold a simplistic Virtual Turing
Test. As more research and work is put into Virtual Reality, AI,
and biomechanics, a suitably advanced human simulation can, and
will, be produced.
(c) copyright 1992 by David Barberi I wrote this at Syracuse
University for a Philosophy class named Minds and Machines ( PHI
378 ). It's only in 'First Draft' format. Maybe some day I'll up-
date it.. nah!.
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- Last updated: July 4, 1995 - David Barberi,
dbarberi@sunsite.unc.edu